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As disappointing as it is, in regards to recycling, the United States does not make the cut. At just a 34 percent success rate, the U.S. sends only 1/3 of its waste into the recycling pool—which is well below many other countries worldwide.

That stat got us thinking: What are the top recycling countries in the world? And, what traits do those successful recycling locations possess?

Austria sits with the highest recycling rate out of any country in the world: 63 percent of all waste is diverted from landfills. As recycling programs have evolved, Austria’s overall performance in terms of municipal solid waste recycling has been stable and at a very high level for the past decade, according to the European Environment Agency (EEA).

“Austria has a long tradition of diverting waste from landfills and has a long-established recycling system. Most of the MSW (municipal solid waste) generated in the country is either recycled or incinerated,” as published in the Municipal Waste Management Report released by the EEA.

Furthermore, according to the Austrian constitution, the municipal waste management responsibilities are divided between the federal and the provincial governments. In addition to a handful of federal waste ordinances, a pivotal leg of the waste legislation is the 2002 Act on waste management, which established the bar for the country’s waste management practices.

According to a report compiled by Planet Aid—an organization that unites communities to bring about worldwide environmental and social change—Germany isn’t too far behind Austria. Germany sends 62 percent of its waste through the close-loop process, keeping it from landfills. And, Taiwan is keeping pace, hitting the top margin with a 60 percent success rate of recycling.

However, in an alternative approach, the recycling effort of the Zaballeen people in Cairo, Egypt, reflects even greater success than the aforementioned locations. With a metropolitan comprised of 60,000 people, you may be surprised to discover that the word Zaballeen is Arabic for “garbage people.”

As told in the 2010 documentary, Garbage Dreams, recyclers collect the urban waste and gather income from reusing, sorting, and reselling the articles they collect. The system has no established official or contemporary recycling facilities or sanitation services, yet, 80 percent of everything that is gathered is recycled.

“The Zaballeen have created the world’s most effective resource recovery system…they are actually saving our Earth. From out of the trash, they lifted themselves out of poverty and have a solution to the world’s most pressing crisis,” said Garbage Dreams Director and Producer Mai Iskander, as reported by Tom White for the International Documentary Association.

In 2014, the country recycled 98.4 percent of consumable packaging—and has been the number one recycler of consumer packaging in the world since 2001. In 2014, that high percentage equated to 289,500 tons of aluminum beverage cans out of 294,200 tons that were available in the market.

The country’s effort was linked to the economy—which was in recession—and the high cost of energy. Aluminum recycling requires less energy than producing new aluminum, so the cost-effective model created a natural incentive for the community.

Following Austria, Germany and Taiwan on Planet Aid’s list: another top recycling country is Singapore, sending 59 percent of its trash to be reused and recycled. Next up: South Korea recycles 49 percent of tossed goods. The United Kingdom hits the 39 percent mark with that percentage going into recycling. Lastly, closing out our top ten are Italy – recycling 36 percent of its trash – and France following closely behind with 35 percent.

The aforementioned locations are the top ten recycling countries in the world for varying reasons with their own unique approaches to the processes. As it seems, in order to implement a high success rate for a nationwide recycling program, the community requires one or all of these qualities: organization—be it through legislation, industry, or entrepreneurs—incentive: a personal motive or financial necessity, and cultural habit-building practices.

To learn more about how WIH Resource Group can assist you in recycling, waste management, transportation and business improvement processes, contact us: WIH Resource Group, Inc

Celebrating a decade in business, WIH Resource Group is a global provider of professional technical and management support services to a broad range of markets, including waste management, recycling, financials, transportation, M&A due diligence and support, alternative fuel fleet conversions, facilities, environmental, energy for private sector business and government clients.

WIH Resource Group is a leader in all of the key markets that it serves. WIH Resource Group provides a blend of global reach, local knowledge, innovation and technical excellence in delivering solutions that create, enhance and sustain the world’s built, natural and social environments. WIH Resource Group serves clients in more than 175 key markets internationally.

More information on WIH Resource Group and its services can be found at www.wihrg.com.

It’s easy not to think about garbage. You throw away your empty cartons, bags, and cups, and once a week the trash collector comes and takes it all away. Out of sight, out of mind… except that it’s not really gone.

Most US garbage is simply relocated from your garbage can to a landfill or incinerator, both of which are fraught with problems:

Incinerators: Emit toxic dioxins, mercury, cadmium, and other particulate matter into the air, and convert waste into toxic ash (which is sometimes used to cover landfills).

Landfills: There are more than 3,000 active landfills, and 10,000-old landfills, in the US.1 While the number of landfills in the US has been decreasing in recent decades, they have, individually, been increasing in size.

Along with being a major source of methane emissions, landfills produce “leachate,” a toxic fluid composed of pollutants like benzene, pesticides, heavy metals, endocrine-disrupting chemicals, and more, which come from the compressed trash.

Although landfills are technically supposed to keep garbage dry and are lined to prevent leachate from contaminating nearby soil and groundwater, the landfill liners are virtually guaranteed to degrade, tear, or crack eventually, allowing the toxins to escape directly into the environment.

10 Shocking Facts About Your Garbage

MSN compiled 10 facts about garbage that are likely to surprise you.2 You may never look at your trash the same way again…

More Than 100 Tons of Waste for Every American: The average American throws away more than 7 pounds of garbage a day. That’s 102 tons in a lifetime, more than any other populations on Earth.

Bottled Water Is the “Grandfather of Wasteful Industries.“ Edward Humes, author of the book “Garbology: Our Dirty Love Affair with Trash,” counts bottled water among the most wasteful of industries. In the US, Americans toss 60 million water bottles daily, which is nearly 700 each minute.

Food Waste Is a Problem Too: Americans throw away 28 billion pounds of food a year, which is about 25 percent of the US food supply.

Disposables Are a Drain: Ten percent of the world’s oil supply is used to make and ship disposable plastics – items like plastic utensils, plates, and cups that are used just one time and thrown away.

Trash Is Expensive: Most communities spend more to deal with trash than they spend for schoolbooks, fire protection, libraries, and parks.

Paper Waste Is a Shame: Americans waste 4.5 million tons of office paper a year. Ask yourself… do I really need to print that?

Opting Out of Junk Mail Makes a Difference: According to Humes, the energy used to create and distribute junk mail in the US for one day could heat 250,000 homes. You can opt-out of junk mail by going to CatalogChoice.org.

Too Many Toys: Only 4 percent of the world’s children live in the US, but Americans buy (and throw away) 40 percent of the world’s toys. Buy less toys, opt for second-hand versions, and pass down the toys you do purchase to others.

Plastic Bags: On average, Americans use 500 plastic bags per capita each year. Such bags make up the second most common type of garbage found on beaches. Stash reusable shopping bags in your purse or car so you’re not tempted by plastic or paper.

Bottled Water: One of the Worst Offenders

US landfills contain about 2 million tons of discarded water bottles, each of which will take more than 1,000 years to biodegrade. Recycling is only possible for a small number of these bottles, because only PET bottles are recyclable. In all, only one out of five plastic bottles ever make it to a recycling bin.3

You might think re-using the bottle is an option, but commercial water bottles tend to wear down from repeated use, which can lead to bacterial growth in surface cracks inside the bottle. This risk is compounded if you fail to adequately wash the bottle between each use, using mild soap and warm water.

But even with washing, these microscopic hiding places may still allow pathogenic bacteria to linger. Perhaps more importantly, the plastic chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) and phthalates lurk in plastic water bottles and can pose serious health hazards, especially to pregnant women and children.

Fortunately, the use of bottled water is one of the easiest habits to change. Simply put a filter on your tap and use a reusable glass water bottle to carry with you.

Why You Should Consider Ditching Plastic Bags

Plastic bags are so wasteful and polluting to the environment that many US cities have already banned them outright. For a succinct and entertaining introduction to the waste that is the plastic bag, I highly recommend the film “Bag It.”4

It is a truly eye-opening look to the vastness of the problem, and the immense waste that could be spared if more Americans toted a reusable bag with them to the grocery store. As their website reported:5

“In the United States alone, an estimated 12 million barrels of oil is used annually to make the plastic bags that Americans consume. The United States International Trade Commission reported that 102 billion plastic bags were used in the US in 2009.

These bags, even when properly disposed of, are easily windblown and often wind up in waterways or on the landscape, becoming eyesores and degrading soil and water quality as they break down into toxic bits.”

On a worldwide scale, each year about 500 billion to 1 trillion plastic bags are used worldwide. At over 1 million bags per minute, that’s a lot of plastic bags, of which billions end up as litter each year, contaminating oceans and other waterways.

Food Waste Is a Serious Issue

You might not think throwing a banana peel or apple core in your trash is a big deal, but organic waste is actually the second highest component of landfills in the US. Organic landfill waste has increased by 50 percent per capita since 1974, as illustrated in this infographic.6

One solution to this problem is to cut down on the amount of food you waste by planning your meals carefully (and shopping according), vacuum packing produce to help it last longer, eating leftovers and knowing when food is still safe to eat (versus when it’s actually spoiled).

Composting Can Help Reduce Organic Waste in Landfills

Another solution lies in creating a backyard compost pile. Composting food scraps recycles their nutrients and can reduce their ecological impact. It benefits soil, plants, and the greater environment, and it’s not as difficult as you might think. Compost can be created with yard trimmings and vegetable food waste, manure from grazing animals, egg shells, brown paper bags, and more.

This can be done on an individual or community-wide level. For instance, in California, The Sonoma County Waste Management Agency operates a regional compost program in which they accept yard trimmings and vegetative food discards that are placed in curbside containers by local residents.

The organic material is then converted into premium quality organic compost and mulches, along with recycled lumber, firewood, and biofuel used to generate electricity. Since 1993, 1.6 million tons of yard and wood debris have been converted into these beneficial products.

Sonoma Compost, which operates the Organic Recycling Program on behalf of the Sonoma County Waste Management Agency, estimates that nearly 1.5 million tons of yard and wood trimmings have been diverted from landfills since 1993 as a result of the program.7

The Consequences of Living in a ‘Throwaway’ Society

Your parents and grandparents likely used products in reusable, recyclable, or degradable containers made from glass, metals, and paper. But today, discarded plastics and other waste are circling the globe at a significant human and environmental cost. It’s a problem of convenience – choosing a plastic disposable water bottle instead of using a reusable glass container, for instance – as well as one of overconsumption.

Even durable items like electronics, toys, and clothes are often regarded as “throwaway” products that we use for a short period and quickly replace – often without recycling, donating, or re-using them for another purpose.

Of course, you are living in a society that makes you feel behind if you do not buy the latest model of this or that, or update your wardrobe with the latest fashions. We’re also increasingly living on the go, where food in throwaway packages is by far the rule rather than the exception.

Contrast that to a couple of generations ago when frugality and resourcefulness were highly valued, and food came fresh from the farm, butcher shop, or baker, and you begin to see where the real problems with excess waste are springing from. The sheer amount of waste that is generated needlessly on any given day is quite mind-boggling. For instance, according to the Clean Air Council:8

The average American office worker uses about 500 disposable cups every year.

The estimated 2.6 billion holiday cards sold each year in the US could fill a football field 10 stories high.

Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Day, an extra million tons of waste is generated each week.

38,000 miles of ribbon are thrown away each year, enough to tie a bow around the Earth.

Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle!

You’ve probably heard of The Three Rs: Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Committing this into practice in your home can significantly reduce the amount of waste your family generates while also saving you money. You can do your part by taking the following action steps that reduce your plastic consumption and generation of waste, which will benefit your health as well as the environment.

Reduce your plastic use: If at all possible seek to purchase products that are not made from or packaged in plastic. Here are a few ideas… Use reusable shopping bags for groceries. Bring your own mug for coffee and bring drinking water from home in glass water bottles instead of buying bottled water. Store foods in the freezer in glass mason jars as opposed to plastic bags. Take your own leftovers container to restaurants. Request no plastic wrap on your newspaper and dry cleaning. Avoid disposable utensils and buy foods in bulk when you can. These are just a few ideas — I’m sure you can think of more.

Recycle/Repurpose what you can: Take care to recycle and repurpose products whenever possible, especially ones that are not available in anything other than plastic. This includes giving your clothes or gently used household items to charities and frequenting second-hand stores instead of buying new. Make use of online sites like Freecycle.org that allow you to give products you no longer need away to others instead of throwing them away.

Choose reusable over single-use: This includes non-disposable razors, washable feminine hygiene products for women, cloth diapers, glass bottles for your milk, cloth grocery bags, handkerchiefs instead of paper tissues, an old t-shirt or rags in lieu of paper towels, and so on.

Compost your food scraps and yard waste: A simple bin in your backyard can greatly cut down on your landfill contributions while rewarding you with a natural fertilizer for your soil.

Support legislation: Support legislative efforts to manage waste in your community; take a leadership role with your company, school, and neighborhood.

Be innovative: If you have a great idea, share it! Your capacity to come up with smarter designs and creative ideas is limitless and many heads are better than one. Innovations move us toward a more sustainable world.

Assist recovery: Return deposits on bottles and other plastic products, and participate in “plastic drives” for local schools, where cash is paid by the pound.

ABOUT THE FOUNDERBob Wallace, MBA is the Founder and a Principal of WIH Resource Group, Inc. and has over 27 years of experience in waste and recycling collections programs management, transportation / logistics operations, alternative fuels (CNG, LPG, RNG, LNG & biodiesel), Fleet Management, Operational Performance Assessments (OPAs), Waste-by-Rail programs, recycling / solid waste operations, transfer stations, landfills, planning and development. Mr. Wallace has extensive experience in working with clients in both the private and public sectors. Prior to WIH Resource Group, Mr. Wallace served as the Director of Transportation & Logistics for Waste Management, the largest provider of waste management and recycling services in North America. He can be reached at bwallace@wihresourcegroup.com or 480.241.9994. For more information visit http://www.wihrg.com

Based in Phoenix, Arizona, the company serves both private companies and public sector Agency clients throughout North America and internationally. To learn more about WIH Resource Group, Inc. visit http://www.wihrg.com .

Should you have any questions about this news or general questions about our diversified services, please contact Bob Wallace, Principal & VP of Client Solutions at WIH Resource Group and Waste Savings, Inc. at admin@wihrg.com

Passionate about life, learning, love and sharing their experiences of life, Bob & Tracy Wallace enjoy sharing their invigorated (energizing) solutions / advice and useful life tips for living life to the fullest on their popular life development blog, “Invigorated Solutions”. Click HERE to visit our website for more valuable information.

The nation’s biggest city, under the direction of Mayor Bill de Blasio, marked Earth Day on Wednesday by linking a sweeping effort to limit its impact on the environment with its fight against income inequality by pledging to lift more than 800,000 people out of poverty.

De Blasio unveiled his ambitious OneNYC plan as a comprehensive strategy to improve New Yorkers’ lives by providing affordable housing, shortening commute times and preserving the environment.

“The way forward is to create a vision for one city where there’s opportunity for all, sustainability for all and fairness for all,” de Blasio said. “So many people who have fought for economic justice have also fought for environmental justice because these challenges go hand in hand.”

The waste reduction proposal — first reported Tuesday by The Associated Press — is central to the plan. New York, home to about 8.5 million residents, aims to reduce its waste output by 90 percent by 2030 from its 2005 level. The plan, the biggest undertaken by a city in the Western Hemisphere, would eliminate more than 3 million tons of garbage by overhauling the city’s recycling program, offering incentives to reduce waste and embracing the City Council’s plan to dramatically reduce the use of plastic shopping bags.

The waste reduction plan is part of an update to the sustainability project created by de Blasio’s predecessor, Michael Bloomberg. But even changing its name from PlaNYC to the loftier OneNYC: The Plan for a Strong and Just City, which invokes de Blasio’s campaign promise to combat the “tale of two cities” created by income inequality, makes clear that the updated plan would grow in scope.

He also reiterated his lofty housing goals — he aims to create 500,000 units of affordable housing by 2040 — and said he wants to end racial and ethnic disparities in premature mortality. He pledged to explore new capital expenditures — including the feasibility of a new subway line to serve central Brooklyn — to improve the city’s aging infrastructure and to reduce the average New Yorker’s commuting time to 45 minutes.

Some resiliency advocates applauded the lofty goals, but others, including Jordan Levine of the New York League of Conservation Voters, chided the plan for not providing specifics on funding and warned that “implementation is where rubber meets the road.”

For decades, the city’s trash has been exported to South Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania or upstate New York. The amount of waste produced by the city has fallen 14 percent since 2005 because of an increase in recycling, and a key component of the plan is to bolster that output by simplifying the process and consolidating all recycling into one bin by 2020.

Organics — such as food scraps and yard waste — make up nearly a third of the city’s residential waste stream. A program to collect that material directly from residents’ homes is expanding to nearly 200,000 residents by year’s end, and city officials want to serve every home by the end of 2018. The city also will offer economic incentives to participate, including potentially a property tax rebate for homeowners.

The city also aims to reduce commercial waste by 90 percent by 2030 by adopting a program that could mean tax incentives for participating businesses and fines for nonparticipants.

The de Blasio administration stopped short of endorsing a City Council bill that proposes a 10-cent fee on plastic bags, but officials said that reducing their use is a priority and that they would coordinate efforts with the council.

Based in Phoenix, Arizona, the company serves both private companies and public sector Agency clients throughout North America and internationally. To learn more about WIH Resource Group, Inc. visit http://www.wihrg.com .

Should you have any questions about this news or general questions about our diversified services, please contact Bob Wallace, Principal & VP of Client Solutions at WIH Resource Group and Waste Savings, Inc. at admin@wihrg.com

Passionate about life, learning, love and sharing their experiences of life, Bob & Tracy Wallace enjoy sharing their invigorated (energizing) solutions / advice and useful life tips for living life to the fullest on their popular life development blog, “Invigorated Solutions”. Click HERE to visit our website for more valuable information.

Biomass is currently one of the latest sources of renewable energy. Together with solar energy and wind power it makes a convincing argument for not using fossil fuels anymore and rather reverting to natural processes to obtain the energy / power that we need. Biomass consists of plant matter that is specifically grown for its ability to generate heat or electricity. Mostly this would mean that Biomass consists of dead plant matter, but plants that are still alive can also generate heat and are therefore also included in the term Biomass.

In order to produce the heat or electricity, the biomass needs to be directly incinerated and fed fuel to keep it burning. This means that biodegradable waste can therefore also be included if it is able to burn and generate heat or electricity. Unfortunately fossil fuels also fall in this category as they are traditionally used to burn in order to generate electricity.

The main purpose of investigating biomass energy is to find sustainable, renewable energy in order to eliminate the usage of fossil fuels for the purpose of generating electricity. In the following sections we will explore what biomass energy is, how it works, its sources and it potential. It is always important to make decisions such as these based on facts rather than emotional arguments.

What is Biomass?

When looking at biomass, it is important to remember that biomass consists mainly or dead or even living biological matter. In the context of biomass energy this biological matter is usually plant-based. It is carbon based and consists of molecules of hydrogen (as well as small amounts of oxygen), nitrogen and various other smaller molecules of other chemicals. Although biomass is generally plant-based, animal matter can also be included for the benefit of the chemical molecules that it can contribute.

Why use Biomass?

One of the biggest advantages of using biomass is the fact that it is a renewable energy source. Making use of biomass energy means that the carbon emissions usually associated with burning fossil fuels are drastically reducing, thereby diminishing the carbon “footprint” left behind. This also means that it can contribute to reducing the so-called greenhouse effect, as well as the production of the so-called greenhouse gasses. All of this in turn helps to prevent and minimise global warming.

When using biomass for energy purposes, the carbon produced when burning is turned into carbon dioxide when it combines with the oxygen around it. When emitted into the air, the carbon monoxide is ‘inhaled’ by living plant matter. This, in turn, then results in oxygen being released into the atmosphere, reducing the carbon production that the burning of fossil fuels causes. This means that biomass makes more biological and environmental sense when thinking about sustainable and renewable energy.

Types of Biomass

Scientists recognize four types of biomass:

Wood and agricultural products: This consists of so-called ‘home-grown’ products such as wood logs and chips etc. It is important to note that almost any biological matter can produce biomass energy. Agricultural biomass come from waste products such as fruit pits, corn cobs etc.

Solid waste: This is everyday waste / ‘garbage’ that can be used to produce energy. It is easily burnt and many plants are already using this method of generating energy.

Landfill gas: This is methane gas that is produced during the decaying and rotting process of biological matter. Landfills are artificial environments for these processes to take place, but are just as effective in generating gas that can compete successfully with the so-called ‘natural gasses’.

Alcohol fuels: Liquid fuels such as ethanol and methanol are produced using biological matter such as wheat, corn and potatoes. Once again, this is done during the decaying and fermentation processes.

Sources of Biomass

There are 5 distinct sources of biomass: Garbage, Wood, Waste, Landfill gases and Alcohol fuels. The biggest source of biomass currently is garbage. The day-to-day waste of households hold the biggest potential for biomass energy as it is already habit to incinerate garbage. Wood comes in at second place with the so-called ‘black liquor’ its biggest contributor. Black liquor is the waste product of the pulping process.

Hot on its heels is waste with it main contributors being municipal solid waste (MSW), manufacturing waste and landfill gas. In the last place are the liquid fuels such as ethanol and methanol which are the result of the fermentation of certain plant types such as corn and sugarcane. Together these sources of biomass have the potential to produce significant amounts of energy that could successfully replace the use of fossil fuels such as coal as a source of energy.

How Biomass energy works?

The process of producing biomass energy starts with the process of photosynthesis in plants. When plants absorb sunlight, the process starts with breaking down the components of sun, air and water into products that the plant uses to grow and thrive. One waste product of the process is oxygen which the plant releases into the air. This is why plants are so important as they “clean” the air of carbon dioxide and release oxygen back into the air.

The next step comes when the plant dies and becomes a waste product. As a waste product plant matter (as well as animal waste) can be collected and burned to generate energy. Because these products are all completely natural, the waste product from the incineration process is carbon dioxide which can easily be absorbed by other, living plants. The carbon emissions are greatly reduced and in many cases not even produced.

Potential for Biomass Energy

Studies by the United States of America show that the use of biomass energy can increase sharply over the next 20 – 30 years. They are already producing 1.2 percent of their total energy needs through the use of biomass energy. It is also predicted that four percent of their transportation energy needs (fuel) can be produced in 2010 with an expectation of up to 20 percent in 2030.

The Department of Energy also believes that biomass energy can be producing up to 14 percent of the USA’s energy consumption by 2030. The potential for biomass energy is huge and is making significant inroads in proving to be the most economic solution to the quest for renewable and sustainable energy sources.

Converting Biomass to Energy

In order to convert biomass into energy, scientists and energy plants can use 1 of 3 conversion methods:

Thermochemical conversion takes place when plant matter is heated but not burned. The heating process helps the plant matter to break down into its natural gasses, liquids and solids. These are then processed to become the energy producing fuel such as methanol and alcohol that is required. The gasses are collected to help fuel the turbines that generate energy.

Biochemical conversion is when bacteria etc. is used to break down the plant matter. It makes use of the fermentation process to break plant matter down into solids, gasses and fluids. Once these have been achieved, they are processed and turned into energy generating fuel.

Chemical conversion is the process that converts oils (like canola oil) into useful fuels – even petrol and diesel for trucks. Algae has also been known to produce the so-called ‘biodiesel’ for trucks and is acknowledged as a better source than the cooking oil from restaurants.

Biomass Energy Pros and Cons

As with any fuel, there are many pros and cons attached to it.

On the pro side, the obvious benefit is that the biomass fuel is sustainable and renewable. Although they are as effective as fossil fuels, they don’t cause much pollution. Using the garbage that would normally go into a landfill helps to reduce the pollution to the environment. From a political point of view, the use of biomass energy reduces countries’ need to depend on foreign countries for their oil supply.

The cons of biomass energy aren’t immediately visible. The first concern is that biomass energy does release greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. However, the amount is considerably less than that released by fossil fuels. There are special cleaning requirements for a biomass energy plant. There is also the question of how much it costs to erect a biomass energy plant compared to the cost of a fossil fuel energy plant.

Although there are also cons to the use of biomass energy, it is clear that it is still a more sensible approach to the constant threat of global warming. It may be a little too late to repair the damage already done, but it is still possible to overlook the “inconveniences” of biomass energy in order to prevent future damage and disaster.

Biomass Energy Finance

Biomass energy is still a controversial topic in many governments. There is clear competition between the supporters of fossil fuel energy and biomass energy. For this reason governments are wary of offering their support to biomass energy initiatives too quickly. In a domino effect, private investment is tied to the government’s policies on biomass energy and can therefore not be tapped into easily.

Earlier this year the UK government has relented and offered their support for biomass energy pioneers, offering to finance both the non-fuel as well as the fuel aspects of building plants. This unlocks the doors for private investors into the industry. There is an biomass energy estimated £13 billion in private investment money that has been waiting for the government to change its policy on biomass energy.

WIH Resource Group is a global leader and provider of comprehensive waste management, recycling, transportation/logistical and business solutions, specializing in, among other services, waste management operational performance assessments, transportation / logistics, alternative fuel use, solid waste planning, waste and recycling market studies, business development and environmental services. Based in Phoenix, the company serves both private and public sector clients throughout North America and globally. Our customers include both public agencies and private sector businesses customers throughout North America. To learn more visit http://www.wihrg.com

Should you have any questions about this news or general questions about our diversified services, please contact Bob Wallace, Principal & VP of Client Solutions at WIH Resource Group and Waste Savings, Inc. at admin@wihrg.com

San DiegoMayor Jerry Sanders is abandoning a potential sale of the Miramar Landfill — a key piece of his fiscal recovery plan — after three private companies withdrew from the bidding process without making an offer.

Instead the mayor said he will move forward with possibly outsourcing the landfill’s operations through managed competition, which allows private firms to compete against city workers for jobs. That option will likely result in far less taxpayer savings than a sale because the city won’t be able to charge the operator a franchise fee of as much as $10 million annually.

The decision ends a seven-month period in which the three firms — Allied Waste Services, Texas Disposal Systems and Waste Management — researched the landfill and negotiated with city officials over various details. In the end, none were willing to submit a formal offer.

“We still believe that selling the landfill was the best option for the city,” Sanders said in a statement. “At the beginning of this process, there was a lot of interest and enthusiasm. But at the end of the day, all of the bidders preferred to run the landfill instead of buy it.”

San Diego faces a $56.7 million budget deficit for the fiscal year that begins July 1 and leaders are exploring a wide range of options to increase revenue or slash expenses. Soliciting bids to take over operations at Miramar Landfill is one of the most frequently mentioned for saving taxpayer money and city leaders even attached it to a campaign to increase the city’s sales tax, which voters roundly rejected in November.

But the potential sale appears to have been doomed by the landfill’s complicated ownership structure and an unwillingness by the private companies to shoulder the financial risk of unknown environmental liabilities.

The city has operated Miramar Landfill since 1959 when it signed a $500-a-year lease deal with the military, which owns the property. The lease, which extends through 2045, changed several times through the years, notably expanding the site from 450 acres to the existing 1,400-acre plot.

The north and south sections of the landfill have already been filled. The active western portion has collected 39 million tons of trash with room for an additional 19 million tons. At the current pace — 988,000 tons of solid waste and 348,000 tons of greenery added annually — the projected closure date is 2022.

City officials were adamant that whoever took over operations would have to assume the landfill’s liabilities, including any costs associated to its eventual closure.

Bob Gregory, chief executive and principal owner of Texas Disposal Systems, said he was “unable to come to a comfort level” in large part because of the environment liability and questions over what role the military would play.

“It’s a wonderful opportunity. We were very excited about the prospect, still are excited about the prospect if they want to do it under a different set of circumstances,” he said. “It was a business deal that had a great deal of financial risk.”

In a statement, Allied Waste also said it would prefer an operational agreement rather than a purchase. A Waste Management official didn’t return a call for comment.

The goal had been to hand the city’s lease over to a private company that would, in turn, give the city a steep discount on dumping fees and pay the city an annual franchise fee of as much as $10 million. That money could then be spent on public safety, parks and libraries.

That’s not possible today. The landfill’s $37 million budget is fee-based and stands apart from the city’s $1.1 billion operating budget. The law does not allow the city to use the fees except at the landfill.

The separate fund also results in the city, which is prohibited from charging most residents for trash pickup, having to pay dumping fees at Miramar of up to $11 million annually from its operating budget.

Now the city will try the less aggressive route of managed competition, a change viewed by some as an opportunity for the roughly 130 city employees who would have lost their jobs had the landfill been sold. Now they’ll be given a chance to submit their own proposal against private firms for the work.

Joan Raymond, head of the city’s blue-collar union which represents many of those workers, was on vacation and didn’t immediately return a call for comment.

City Council President Tony Young said the mayor has taken a prudent approach with the landfill.

“I think we have to have an understanding of what our assets, especially a big asset like that, is worth,” Young said. “Now we’ve found that there’s not a big market for it for whatever reason. I’m actually really happy that now the employees get a chance to bid on it and the taxpayers will be able to get probably a better price in regards to running it because it’s going to have some competition involved.”

The Mayor’s Office is expected to begin the managed competition process for the landfill in May or June, but final approval may not come until mid-2012.

WIH Resource Group is a global leader and provider of comprehensive waste management, recycling, transportation/logistical and business solutions, specializing in, among other services, waste management operational performance assessments, transportation / logistics, alternative fuel use, solid waste planning, waste and recycling market studies, business development and environmental services. Based in Phoenix, the company serves both private and public sector clients throughout North America and globally. Our customers include both public agencies and private sector businesses customers throughout North America. To learn more visit http://www.wihrg.com

Should you have any questions about this news or general questions about our diversified services, please contact Bob Wallace, Principal & VP of Client Solutions at WIH Resource Group and Waste Savings, Inc. at admin@wihrg.com

Whether you want to optimize solid waste or recycling collection routes for a fleet of 5 trucks or 150, or need routing for high density areas or point-to-point collection, WIH Resource Group provides both routing software tools as well as WIH’s Team of Field Route Auditors can perform manual route audits that make onroute waste collection and dispatch operations both efficient and cost-effective.

These tools eliminate hours spent on manual routing, maximize productivity, optimize equipment and staff allocations, and allow you to gain better control over your operations.

In addition, WIH Resource Group provides independent software service provider analysis. In other words, if you are trying to determine the best mix of software and onboard hardware technology, WIH Resource Group can assist you in perfoming a Techonology Assessment Study
aimed and evaluating and identfying major providers of the most relevant technology to meet your specific goals, objectives and needs in collection vehicle routing, GIS, GPS, onboard computer, real time collection vehicle tracking, fleet management, routing software or other industry technologies.

Waste Collection Routing Software Technology

WIH Resource Group works with its partners to provide software technology that is automated and designed primarily to support solid waste and recycling collection services.

The software application will generate efficient vehicle routes for solid waste collection over a street network, and can also be used for street cleaning, newspaper / postal delivery, and other applications that require an arc-routing solution with side constraints.

The route optimization software is for Waste Collection that supports multiple lines of business including Commercial (Front Load), Residential and Roll-Off (Industrial).

WIH’s routing solutions technology partner’s software is designed to approach routing the way you would route manually. This design philosophy produces routes that are immediately useable in the field. After all, hitting the ground running is the ultimate test of success for route optimization software.

Higher Productivity and Lower Operating Costs

WIH Resource Group Clients can realize higher productivity gains and lower operational costs than alternatives along with the reduction in hauling onroute collection costs, disposal costs and capital costs.

Savings opportunities can be realized by reducing miles driven, hours spent, reduction in the number of vehicles required and reduction in total disposal cost. WIH’s waste and recycling collection routing software solutions integrate product suite for the Waste Industry and also provides for other opportunities like dynamic dispatching, real-time vehicle tracking and planned v/s actual comparison, thus providing increased operational excellence.

Here are a few of the benefits WIH Resource Group’s Route Optimization Services offer our Clients:

Decreased Labor Costs

Decrease Onroute Mileage

Increased Route Density

Decreased Maintenance Costs

Reduced Driver Overtime

Improved Customer Service

Real Time Vehicle / Asset Tracking

Improved Driver Communications

Improved New Customer Intergration

More Accurate Collection Service Pricing

Reduced Fuel Costs

Maximize Driver and Fleet Productivity

Improved Customer Retention

WIH Clients can optimize their residential, commercial and roll off collection lines of business routes daily or weekly or they can optimize their previous day and same day tickets for the various service types and container sizes while meeting transfer station, yard and landfill time windows.

Our Routing Software Partners’ route planning and route optimization solutions have been implemented by the first and second largest solid waste and recycling collection companies – as well as other top waste haulers – in North America with combined fleet size of over 35,000 vehicles and has proven savings of 10% to 35%.

Waste and Recycling Collection Route Auditing

WIH Resource Group understands that every solid waste collection organziation (Public Agency or Private Sector Company) is different, that’s why we go out of our way to tailor specialized services to your specific needs. The following information offers ways that WIH’s Route Optimization Program turns “route audits” into more profits for your company.

WIH’s Field Team will perform driver ride-alongs taking snapshots to establish a benchmark of your current operations and identify new revenue and cost reduction opportunities for your routes, customer service, billing, sales and safety departments.

The WIH Field Team will then verify your customers’ service levels that may include the following:

WIH Resource Group is a global leader and provider of comprehensive waste management, recycling, transportation/logistical and business solutions, specializing in, among other services, waste management operational performance assessments, transportation / logistics, alternative fuel use, solid waste planning, waste and recycling market studies, business development and environmental services. Based in Phoenix, the company serves both private and public sector clients throughout North America and globally. Our customers include both public agencies and private sector businesses customers throughout North America. To learn more visit http://www.wihrg.com

Should you have any questions about this news or general questions about our diversified services, please contact Bob Wallace, Principal & VP of Client Solutions at WIH Resource Group and Waste Savings, Inc. at admin@wihrg.com

SAN FRANCISCO — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will present UC Davis with an award for their impressive efforts to reduce waste during this year’s Aggies’ football season. The Northern California university took home first prize for achieving the highest waste diversion rate in the country as part of EPA’s 2010 Game Day Challenge, a national competition for colleges and universities to promote waste reduction at their football games.

The Aggies’ blew away their competitors by achieving a nearly 90% diversion of waste to recycling and composting, 20% higher than the second place university, Ohio State University. Their high mark was achieved during the October 23, 2010 home game when nearly all the waste generated by the crowd of 6,835 on hand was composted or recycled. The amount of waste sent to a landfill – only 90 pounds!

“We applaud UC Davis as the first university in the country to set a goal of operating a zero-waste stadium,” said Jared Blumenfeld, EPA’s Regional Administrator for the Pacific Southwest. “The team colors may be Aggie blue and gold, but, by reducing their stadium’s environmental footprint, they are also very green.”

The Aggies opened their new stadium in 2007. Key to their success in approaching their zero waste goal has been a commitment by their concessionaire to only sell items that come in recyclable or compostable packaging. For example, only candy in paper boxes is sold, and beverages are served in compostable cups, including a compostable straw. Student monitors provide assistance to fans to help them place their waste in the correct containers.

During the EPA’s National Game Day Challenge 77 participating schools targeted more than 2.8 million fans at football games. The schools together diverted more than 500,000 pounds of waste from landfills, which prevented the release of nearly 940 metric tons of carbon dioxide. This is equivalent to the annual greenhouse gas emissions from 179 cars.

Participating schools tracked the amount of recycled, composted, reused, donated, and disposed of waste during one home football game. Winners were determined based on the amount of waste that was diverted from the landfill in relation to the amount of generated waste and the number of people at the game.

The EPA will present the award to UC Davis at their Plan Green conference on Wednesday, February 16, 2011. The conference is part of UC Davis’ ongoing efforts to advance sustainability practices at the University.

The greening of stadium operations is a growing trend across the country. Annually, approximately 48 million people attend college football games and another 17 million attend professional football games. These 65 million fans can generate a lot of waste, at least 19,500 tons every year.

San Francisco stadiums have been among the leaders in greening major league sporting events. In 2009, the San Francisco 49er’s achieved an 81% recycling rate while the Giants achieved a 75% rate. Their success diverting waste to recycling and composting is part of the City of San Francisco’s overall efforts to achieve a zero waste goal by 2020.

With more than 106 million people who watched this year’s Super Bowl from home, the best opportunity to reduce waste is in our homes and in our cities and towns. Of all the leftover chili, barbecue, chips, and 7-layer dip at Super Bowl parties across the country, only 2.5% is composted. The rest of this food waste makes up 21% of all waste going to municipal landfills. Only one out every two aluminum cans is recycled. The energy from recycling just one aluminum can will power a TV for 3 hours, enough time to watch the game. By taking a few small steps to recycle cans and compost our leftover food, fans can reduce the environmental footprint of our sporting events.

WIH Resource Group is a global leader and provider of comprehensive waste management, recycling, transportation/logistical and business solutions, specializing in, among other services, waste management operational performance assessments, transportation / logistics, alternative fuel use, solid waste planning, waste and recycling market studies, business development and environmental services. Based in Phoenix, the company serves both private and public sector clients throughout North America and globally. Our customers include both public agencies and private sector businesses customers throughout North America. To learn more visit http://www.wihrg.com

Should you have any questions about this news or general questions about our diversified services, please contact Bob Wallace, Principal & VP of Client Solutions at WIH Resource Group and Waste Savings, Inc. at admin@wihrg.com